Seattle
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This residential skyscraper is located in the Denny Triangle neighborhood of Seattle and is designed to be eco-friendly with high walkability and public transit scores.
Featured Buildings Involving MKA

Chicago
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This vertical campus' glass and steel design is an architectural counterpoint to the grey limestone of the Auditorium Building its connected to.
Featured Buildings Involving MKA

Chicago
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Lurie Children's Hospital is one of the top pediatric providers in the Midwest, and is affiliated with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Featured Buildings Involving MKA

About MKA

MKA’s passion is creating structural systems for buildings of all shapes, sizes, and complexities and civil site and infrastructure designs for architectural projects. In addition to traditional structural and civil engineering services, they offer enhanced expertise in seismic, wind, vibration, existing building, performance-based, and blast engineering and site strategies for low-impact design, site infrastructure planning, strategic water planning, and excavation shoring.

MKA has been presented with a top national ACEC engineering design award (the most significant recognition by their peers) 26 times in the last 29 years–three times more than any competitor engineering firm in the United States; and the "Grand Conceptor" award three times. Collectively, their projects have won 500+ awards from a variety of industry organizations. If it can be done, MKA can do it.

MKA at CTBUH

Seismic Design Working Group Meets at 2018 Conference
20 Oct 2018, Dubai
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Event
Report
The CTBUH Performance-Based Seismic Design Working Group reconvened at the CTBUH 2018 Middle East Conference in Dubai to outline an approach for updating their 2017 technical guide.

Ron Klemencic Wins ENR Award of Excellence
6 Apr 2018
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CTBUH News
Former CTBUH Chairman Ron Klemencic has been awarded the ENR 2018 Award of Excellence for his relentless pursuit of a better built environment.

CTBUH Seattle Hosts Tour of West Edge Tower
22 Feb 2018, Seattle
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Tour
Report
CTBUH Seattle hosted a site tour of West Edge Tower in downtown Seattle on Thursday, 22 February, featuring a blend of completed and in-progress spaces throughout the tower.

6th Annual CTBUH International Student Design Competition
31 Oct 2017, Sydney
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CTBUH Research
The winner and final rankings for the CTBUH International Student Design Competition, kindly sponsored by Woods Bagot, were determined at the 2017 CTBUH Conference in Australia.

CTBUH Leaders Connect at 2017 Conference
29 Oct 2017, Sydney
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Event
Report
The Annual Leaders Meeting was held the day before the start of the CTBUH 2017 Australia Conference, bringing together the Council’s leaders.

CTBUH Rope-Less, Non-Vertical Elevators Team Holds Second Meeting
23 Jun 2017, Rottweil
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Event
Report
The second meeting of the research team involved in “A Study on the Design Possibilities Enabled by Rope-Less, Non-Vertical Elevators” was held in Rottweil, Germany.

CTBUH Germany Hosts Symposium on Technical Innovation
22 Jun 2017, Rottweil
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Event
Report
CTBUH Germany held a symposium to discuss the role of technical and technological innovation and its effect on the various disciplines within the construction industry.

Second CAF-CTBUH Event Examines Tall Building Safety
18 May 2017, Chicago
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Event
Report
The CTBUH, in conjunction with the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF), held the second of the four-part “Building Tall” lecture series, this time focused on "Securing Tall."

CTBUH Executive Director Honored as ENR Newsmaker
13-14 Apr 2017, New York City
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Event
Report
CTBUH Executive Director Antony Wood was recognized by ENR as one of the "Top 25 Newsmakers of 2016," attending an event in New York to receive his honor.

150 North Riverside Holiday Tour
16 Dec 2016, Chicago
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Tour
Report
As an annual tradition, CTBUH HQ staff are given a tour of tall building during their holiday celebrations. This year, the staff visited 150 North Riverside by Goettsch Partners.

Seattle YPC Tours Troy Block
1 Dec 2016, Seattle
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Tour
Report
The Seattle Chapter of the Young Professionals Committee hosted a site tour of Troy Block, providing significant insight into the relationship of the historical and new.

CTBUH Seattle Fall Forum
8 Nov 2016, Seattle
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Event
Report
CTBUH Seattle organized and held their annual Fall Forum, this year on “Digital Technology in the Built Environment.”

CTBUH 2015 New York Conference Gold Sponsor
26-30 Oct 2015, New York City
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Conference Sponsor
After a post-recession hiatus in tall building construction in many countries lasting several years, numerous cities are again resurgent.

Interesting Results from Second Round of Megacolumn Tests
27-29 Jul 2015, Beijing
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Event
Report
CTBUH research division members attended the second round of tests in Beijing related to the Megacolumn Research project, sponsored by ArcelorMittal.

Considering the Whole Life Cycle Workshop, Shanghai 2014
16 Sep 2014, Shanghai
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Event
Report
This session brought building environmental performance issues to the forefront in building design, a field that has been criticized in the past for its resource-heavy construction.

Megacolumns Research – Update and First Deliverable
Sep 2014, Chicago
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CTBUH Research
Report
Progress is being made on the Composite Megacolumns research project, with a case study and laboratories selected for the destructive tests

Leading Structural Firms Help the Council on LCA Research
Feb 2013, Chicago
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CTBUH Research
Report
Twelve of the world’s best-known structural engineering firms helped the CTBUH Research Team to perform a fundamental part of its LCA research project.

Young Professionals Hosts Meeting at the 2012 Awards Symposium
18 Oct 2012, Chicago
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Event
Report
Exactly one year after its establishment the CTBUH Young Professionals Committee gathered at the Awards Symposium on October 18 at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

CTBUH 2012 Shanghai Conference Silver Sponsor
19-21 Sep 2012, Shanghai
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Conference Sponsor
That the 21st Century will be the age of the Asian Skyscraper seems indisputable. Already, the past two decades have witnessed a major shift in tall buildings from west to east.

International Journal of High-Rise Buildings Vol. 1 No. 3
Sep 2012, Shanghai
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CTBUH Publication
The International Journal of High-Rise Buildings, Volume 1: Number 3 includes 10 papers focusing on pure research content and investigations in tall building design.

New CTBUH Fellows
Jun 2011
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CTBUH News
This year, three individuals are being recognized by the CTBUH for their contribution to the Council over an extended period of time: Ron Klemencic, Brett Taylor & John Zils.

CTBUH 4th Annual Awards Contributor
18 Oct 2005, New York City
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Awards Event
The CTBUH 4th Annual awards ceremony and dinner was held in the Astor Ballroom of the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel.

CTBUH Resources Involving MKA

Award Winners & Award of Excellence Recipients

The CTBUH Awards recognize projects and individuals that have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of tall buildings and the urban environment, and that achieve sustainability at the highest and broadest level.

26 Oct 2015 –
The Future of Tall: A Selection of Written Works on Current Skyscraper Innovations
Shelley Finnigan, ArcelorMittal; Barry Charnish, Entuitive; Robert Chmielowski, Magnusson Klemencic Associates

Finding Tailored Solutions to Common Problems
3 Nov 2016 –
CTBUH "15th Annual Awards";
Ron Klemencic, Magnusson Klemencic Associates
As Chairman and CEO of Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Ron Klemencic has played an active role in shaping the direction of the structural engineering community. His pioneering work in the field of Performance-Based Seismic Design for tall buildings…

Life Cycle Analysis: Are We There Yet?
16 Sep 2014 –
Presentation at CTBUH 2014 Shanghai Conference;
Donald Davies, Magnusson Klemencic Associates
To help advance Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) for building systems, this presentation reviews the history and state of LCA practice in the U.S. from a structural engineering perspective. The recently released Revit LCA module “Tally” is utilized for case…

Embodied Carbon and the Case for Longevity
19 Sep 2012 –
Presentation at CTBUH 2012 9th World Congress, Shanghai;
Donald Davies, MKA
The sustainability and longevity of today’s tall buildings is an often-neglected subject. Embodied carbon can be used as a metric for making important decisions regarding the life of a structure. This presentation makes a case for 100-year design…

Architecture and Engineering as One
Oct 2011 –
Presentation at CTBUH 2011 Seoul Conference;
Ron Klemencic, Magnusson Klemencic Associates
Integrating and even celebrating the structure of a building through the architectural design often leads to dramatic and memorable buildings. To achieve the best outcome requires close collaboration between architect and engineer, each having a…

Seismic Design Guidelines for Tall Buildings
Oct 2011 –
Presentation at CTBUH 2011 Seoul Conference;
Ron Klemencic, MKA
The Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, as part of its Tall Buildings Initiative, recently published Seismic Design Guidelines for Tall Buildings, an alternative to the prescriptive procedures contained in standards such as ASCE 7 and the…

Steel and the Skyscraper City: A Study on the Influence of Steel on the Design of Tall Buildings
26 Oct 2015 –
The Future of Tall: A Selection of Written Works on Current Skyscraper Innovations; Shelley Finnigan, ArcelorMittal; Barry Charnish, Entuitive; Robert Chmielowski, Magnusson Klemencic Associates
At the turn of the century, building design began to evolve. Improvements included indoor plumbing, the advent of escalators, and creation of the “Chicago window.” Perhaps the most notable change was the development of the skyscraper. Innovations in…

Life Cycle Analysis: Are We There Yet?
16 Sep 2014 –
CTBUH 2014 Shanghai Conference Proceedings; Donald Davies & Ron Klemencic, Magnusson Klemencic Associates
To help advance Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) for building systems, this paper reviews the history and state of LCA practice in the U.S. from a structural engineering perspective. The recently released Revit LCA module “Tally” is utilized for case…

Towards Sustainable Vertical Urbanism
Sep 2014 –
CTBUH Journal, 2014 Issue III; Daniel Safarik, CTBUH
The survival of humanity on this planet relies on a radical repositioning of our cities. In the face of unprecedented global population growth, urbanization, pollution increase and climate change, it is no longer enough to simply create buildings…

Performance-Based Seismic Design – State of Practice 2012
Sep 2012 –
CTBUH 2012 9th World Congress, Shanghai; Ron Klemencic & J. Andrew Fry, MKA; Guo-Qiang Li, Tongji University
A summary and synthesis of the Performance-Based Seismic Design (PBSD) procedures and standards around the world is presented. The summary information draws from the papers written by leading technical experts in PBSD from the various countries…

Tall Buildings in Future Development of Metropolitan Universities
Sep 2012 –
CTBUH 2012 9th World Congress, Shanghai; Christopher Groesbeck, VOA Associates; Jon DeVries & John McDonald, Roosevelt University; Ron Klemencic, MKA
In the future, the University will need to consider vertical models to co-exist within their urban cores and create a living and working balance. With the rise of commercial real estate values and densities in many major metropolitan areas, the…

Embodied Carbon and the Case for Longevity
Sep 2012 –
CTBUH 2012 9th World Congress, Shanghai; Ron Klemencic, Donald Davies, Derek Beaman & Ola Jonhansson, MKA
This paper explores the sustainability and longevity of today’s residential building construction. It makes the case for 100-year design criteria for building frames and enclosure systems. Embodied carbon as a metric for making decisions and areas…

Performance Based Seismic Design – State of Practice 2012 in the United States of America
1 Sep 2012 –
International Journal of High-Rise Buildings Volume 1 Number 3; Ron Klemencic, J. Andrew Fry, John Hooper, et al., Magnusson Klemencic Associates
This paper presents a summary of the state of the practice for Performance Based Seismic Design (PBSD) in the United States. While it is not included in the prescriptive provisions of the United States’ building codes, the PBSD procedure has been…

A Tale of Two Cities: Collaborative Innovations for Sustainable Towers
Mar 2008 –
CTBUH 2008 8th World Congress, Dubai; John Lahey & Martin Wolf, Solomon Cordwell Buenz; Ron Klemencic & Ola Johansson, MKA
Policies in a number of American cities encourage increased residential density and height, as well as new standards for sustainability. However, creative and sensitive responses to the design, engineering, and cost challenges posed by this complex…

Learning from Structures Subjected to Loads Extremely Beyond Design
Mar 2004 –
Modern Steel Construction March 2004.; Jon Magnusson, MKA
Structures are designed for certain loads and hazards, and structural engineers need to communicate clearly with the building owner, architect, and building officials about what loadings have been considered—and not considered— in a project design…

Shoring Wall and Subsurface Structural Systems: IDX Tower, Seattle, Washington
May 2003 –
CTBUH Journal, Spring 2003; David G. Winter, Shannon & Wilson; Douglas E. Loesch, MKA; Robert Hollister, Hines
This paper reports on the performance of the excavation shoring. The new building is supported on a mat footing that varies in thickness from 6 to 14 feet. This paper also discusses the design of the mat, and the building core wall support.

What Does September 11th Mean for Building Structure Design
May 2003 –
CTBUH Journal, Spring 2003; Jon Magnusson, MKA
The horrible events of September 11th have aroused many emotions and created many questions in the minds of the public, the media, political leaders, and design professionals. For officials charged with developing building codes and designers charged…